Mist clung to Tianlei's body, making him resemble a frozen sculpture. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still breathing.
The entire hall had transformed into an ice cavern, its temperature plunging far below anything natural.
"Kid, let the cold air help your body evolve," Shi Guyin said calmly.
Tianlei parted his lips and exhaled. A pale chill escaped his mouth.
"Won't this freeze me to death?" he asked quietly.
"Your strength has stagnated at three-star Soldier Class because of the restriction imposed by your Blood Devil–Eating Vein Grass genes," Shi Guyin replied.
"At this stage, those genes must be sealed and forced to adapt to new characteristics other than devouring blood."
"Let the cold air flow directly into your bloodstream."
Tianlei withdrew the demon Qi emerging from his spirit core. Without its protection, the cold air immediately seeped into his blood vessels.
Shi Guyin removed his two fingers from Tianlei's spine and raised his hand, gathering the shards scattered across the ground. With a snap of his fingers, they transformed into countless tiny ice needles.
"Endure the pain."
The needles shot into Tianlei's skin, piercing deep until they reached his inner flesh. Normally, when his skin was breached, veins would surge outward but today, there was nothing. Not even blood.
Tianlei released a restrained scream as the needles burrowed deeper, some striking bone. He coughed blood, which instantly solidified into ice.
"These needles contain Bodhi blood," Shi Guyin. "Let them aid in strengthening your body."
To Tianlei's surprise, the pain gradually diminished. As he absorbed the Bodhi blood, the needles dissolved one by one within him. The process felt like it lasted days, though time had lost all meaning.
His strength surged , breaking through three-star… then four-star… then five-star yet it continued to rise as he absorbed the cold air, refining both the Bodhi blood essence and the Ice needles.
During the process, Tianlei's hair turned grey. Soon after, his entire body followed.
Several hours later, the cold within the hall weakened. Ice clinging to the stone walls began to melt.
Shi Guyin stood and stretched.
"Congratulations. You've reached six-star Soldier Class."
Tianlei opened his heavy eyes. His pupils had turned light blue, streaked faintly with grey. He stared at his hands , his skin now carried the pale hue of mist.
But excitement drowned out concern.
"Finally… I've broken through."
Gathering what strength he could, he forced himself to stand. His body felt far heavier than before.
"Thank you, Old ghost Shi."
"Aye. Without this extreme cold, I would've evaporated while helping you," Shi Guyin replied , stroking his beard
"Someone definitely adjusted the temperature intentionally."
"I've been here almost two days," Tianlei said. "I'll be released soon, but…"
He turned to Shi Guyin.
"Now that you have a spirit form… where will you live?"
He scoffed. "Why do you insist on making me explain even the simplest things?"
His body dissolved into a thin trail of light that shot toward Tianlei's finger, entering his storage ring.
"Your contract beast will need company," Shi Guyin's voice echoed.
Tianlei walked to one of the stone pillars where the cores had once rested. He touched its smooth surface, clenched his fist, and punched.
The pillar barely cracked.
He blinked, then grinned.
"Fuck this military branch."
His knuckles turned white as he struck the same spot again.
The pillar exploded outward, rubble scattering in all directions.
"Even after jumping multiple stars… I'm still weak compared to most cadets."
He had actually leaped from peak 3 star to 6 star , somehow even close to 7 star . It had taken him two years to jump from 1 star soldier class level to 2 star and then came the stagnation of strength which he only broke after entering death matches .
If he continued to increase his strength at this rate , beating Feng San wouldn't be impossible but a good thing always came with a backside .
"Old ghost Shi . what happens when someone forcibly increases their strength?"
"That depends on how badly they wish to die," Shi Guyin replied. "Using powerful cultivation resources is efficient but if your body can't endure it, it's like pouring acid into a balloon."
"Why ask?"
"I just want to get stronger. If I don't break through to a higher level within three years… I'm afraid."
Shi Guyin fell silent.
"…Is it about your family?"
Tianlei's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"I've always been there," Shi Guyin said gently. "Advancing stars may be easy early on, but breaking into higher realms isn't something you can simply force within three years."
Tianlei's expression dimmed.
"Aye, don't look so gloomy," Xu Minghao added. "Miracles do happen in cultivation."
"Miracles…" Tianlei thought.
A voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
"Permission granted to exit."
"Three days have elapsed."
Light enveloped Tianlei, lifting him off the ground and hurling him through layers of space. His body felt stretched toward an endless void.
The moment Tianlei's feet touched the ground, cold seeped through his boots and crawled up his legs.
The soil beneath him was dark and damp, layered with thin frost that cracked softly when he shifted his weight.
Tianlei inhaled.
The air was dense, heavy with a strange vitality that burned faintly in his lungs before settling deep in his chest.
The place was surprisingly very cold even with no view of ice.
He lifted his head slowly.
He expected the military branch with engines roaring, cadets shouting but instead towering trees surrounded him in all directions. Frost crept up their surfaces like pale veins, while high above, interlocking branches formed a vast canopy that blocked most of the sky.
Only faint bluish light filtered through.
"This environment…" Tianlei muttered.
"This is…"
He looked up. The sky suggested dusk was approaching.
"Judging by the breath of this place," Shi Guyin said softly, "you are in the Great Di Forest."
"The Great Di? But I wasn't supposed to—"
Tianlei clenched his fists and jaw.
The military branch had deliberately thrown a Soldier-Class provisional executor into a forest infamous for its dangerous spirit beasts.
"This wasn't a mistake."
"They intentionally sent me here… but why?"
The forest was eerily quiet, broken only by distant insects and the hoot of an owl.
His storage ring glowed as Shi Guyin emerged in his misty form.
"I didn't even get ten minutes of rest."
" Old ghost Shi," Tianlei asked, "you lived in this forest for five hundred years. Do you know where we are?"
Shi Guyin glanced at the sky and exhaled.
"Think of the worst possible place for a Soldier-Class cultivator."
"…The inner regions?"
Tianlei stiffened. "You're certain?"
Shi Guyin nodded. "I have taken root here before to sense how death feels like ."
Tianlei's heart sank.
The Great Di Forest.
"And what kind of beasts live here?" Tianlei asked quietly.
Shi Guyin's gaze drifted across the trees, his expression growing solemn.
"Many," he replied. "Spirit beasts , Blood-devouring creatures that hunt through scent alone. "
Tianlei absorbed the words without panic. He flexed his fingers slowly, feeling the weight of his newly advanced body. His strength was real but so was the pressure in the air pressing against his skin.
"This forest feels… alive," Tianlei said.
Shi Guyin hummed in agreement. "The Great Di Forest is old. Older than most cultivation paths, so it naturally contains its own vitality "
Shi Guyin spoke again, voice lower. "We are not alone."
Tianlei did not move.
From between trunks, a shape emerged.
A beast the size of a large wolf stepped into view. Its fur was pale blue. Its eyes were clouded white, yet fixed precisely on Tianlei.
Another presence shifted deeper in the forest.
Then another.
Tianlei felt it clearly now dozens of faint auras, layered and overlapping, hidden among roots and branches.
"They're watching," Tianlei said.
Shi Guyin nodded. "Your aura is human, so are unfamiliar to them."
Tianlei's muscles tensed.
"Should I move?" he asked.
The forest pressure thickened.
Shi Guyin's expression darkened.
"These creatures respond to dominance," he said. "They respect strength that overwhelms the environment."
The wolf took another step forward.
That was enough.
Shi Guyin moved.
The mist around his form erupted violently, surging outward in a burst of azure light. His spiritual body expanded, reshaping as cultivation power poured forth without restraint.
Wings tore through the air.
Massive, translucent, and edged with razor-sharp ice.
Two heads emerged from the core of the light, each crowned with jagged horns, eyes blazing with ancient authority. An overwhelming icy aura crashed downward, freezing the ground instantly. Trees groaned as frost surged up their trunks .
The temperature plummeted.
The forest reacted instantly.
The wolf froze in place, ears flattening, body trembling. The hidden auras recoiled, shrinking back into the depths of the woods.
Fear spread , it was not panic but instinctive submission.
This was clearly no prey.
Shi Guyin spread his wings wide and released a low, reverberating roar that rolled through the forest like thunder trapped in ice.
The beasts fled.
The pressure lifted.
The towering azure beast dissolved, collapsing inward into mist. Shi Guyin reappeared, his form flickering violently, dimmer than before, clearly drained.
Tianlei stared at him.
"They will avoid this area for a time," Shi Guyin continued. "They believe a powerful magical beast has settled nearby."
"And you?" Tianlei asked. "How much did that cost you?"
Shi Guyin waved it off. " I will be fine , just need a little cold to stabilize my spirit body "
Tianlei nodded slowly.
"Then we don't waste the opportunity."
He moved toward a large tree and sat down . Cold immediately surged into his body but instead of resisting, he adjusted his breathing, guiding the chill into his blood and bones.
Shi Guyin watched him closely.
"You plan to cultivate here?"
"Yes," Tianlei said.
" By the looks of it ,you don't seem afraid."
Tianlei closed his eyes.
" Why should I be afraid when I have a way out ."
" Wait ,you do ."